No need to look ahead. Strange as it may seem, it's a little tempting to think where the Georgetown football program will sit if it can do what no other Georgetown program has done in the Patriot League--namely, defeat Colgate. Let's all put that aside and speak of the here and now
First, take the Red Raiders 1-2 record and forget about it. Games with Furman and Syracuse are still atypical for a Patriot League program, and in the end won't mean a thing if Colgate expects to return to the PL title. But few if any PL teams could hold the ball for 23:39 in the first half against the Orangemen, and take 83 plays under scrimmage against a Big East defense. The question is not whether Colgate can run the ball, but whether Georgetown can stop it.
Colgate enters the game with a legitimate all-America candidate in junior RB Nate Eachus, on track for a 1,000 yard season. Eachus rushed 35 times for 147 yards against Syracuse last week, and rushed for 258 yards last season in his only meeting against the Hoyas. In each of its last three meetings with Georgetown, Colgate has rushed for 300 or more yards, and it's been the story of three games well over by halftime. The ability of Georgetown to cut the rush and develop its own offense will be the keys in turning this into a sixty minute game.
With a workhorse like Eachus, some teams don't need much more, but Colgate senior QB Greg Sullivan provides veteran leadership in a season where many PL teams are adjusting to new quarterbacks and new offensive schemes. Sullivan is second on the team in rushing (61.3 yards per game) and while his passing stats are modest (37-59-3, 125.7 yards per game), he has a number of capable options at receiver. Only three Red Raiders have more than one catch per game, with senior WR Doug Rosnick (20-212-1) a likely target. Rosnick caught 10 passes, three times that of any other player on the field in a run-heavy game at the carrier Dome. Even with TV time outs, the entire game was played in 2:48, a relative track meet in today's extended time games.
Defensively, Colgate's numbers reflect a team with some strong opponents. The Red raiders just got by Monmouth in its season opener , 30-29; Colgate has this odd habit of struggling in week one (none more so in their march to the 2003 I-AA finals, needing a touchdown on the last play of the game to defeat the Hoyas, 20-19.). Following Monmouth, Furman (45-15) and Syracuse (42-7) were able to out-muscle the Red raiders on the ground and take advantage of field position at key times of the game. Four of Syracuse's six touchdowns were in series of four plays or less.
Over the recent years, Colgate's run defense obliterated what passed for a running game at GU--the Hoyas were out rushed 313-91 in last season's game. The Red Raiders will expect more in the way of passing for Georgetown, and will call upon linebacker Chris DiMassa (32 tackles in 2010), anchoring a defensive unit with six seniors. As with Holy Cross, the Colgate line's size is not overpowering, so Georgetown may have an opportunity to get its offensive line to hold the line of scrimmage.
Georgetown's offense was not particularly explosive against Holy Cross--the optimist would say they were hiding some fireworks for this game. Senior WR Keerome Lawrence has renewed confidence in picking up key first down yardage, while receivers Patrick Ryan and Jamal Davis may be better options against the Colgate secondary than they were against the Holy Cross defensive sets. With Colgate expected to key on RB Philip Oladeji, coach Dave Patenaude must look for more from Wilburn Logan or Dalen Claytor, absent relying on Scott darby to carry the load as he did early against Holy Cross.
Some keys to the game:
- Rush defense. Georgetown cannot expect to win without it. The difference between the tepid Holy Cross run game and Colgate will be startling.
- Interceptions. Sullivan has been tagged with three this season, Darby one. Any turnovers could be critical early in the game.
- Nick Parrish. After some understated efforts in the last three weeks, Parrish is due for a big game. Can he be the driver to keep Eachus in check?
After three warm weeks of football, fall has arrived in Upstate New York. A forecast in the low 50's awaits fans at game time, but most of the rain affecting the Eastern Seaboard should be out of range by Saturday. But the impact of Saturday's game has repercussions throughout the league. If Georgetown can put together a better run defense and get breaks in the passing game, the heat will be on the rest of the league to play catch-up.
And who would have figured Hamilton, NY on Oct. 2 as the red-letter day in the PL season?
